12/02/2019
In its latest grant giving programme, seven charities from the Yorkshire and Teesside coast will benefit from funding to spend on education programmes designed to enhance local people’s skills, which is one of the core aims of the Foundation.
The organisation is an independent charity funded by Sirius Minerals Plc to create a lasting legacy from the development of the company’s multi-billion-pound polyhalite fertiliser mine being constructed near Whitby and Teesside.
This is the second funding round for the charity, having distributed £300,000 to 75 projects throughout Teesside, East Cleveland, Whitby and Scarborough in December 2017.
The criteria for this funding round centred on skills development, with trustees from the Foundation making the decision to award between £10,000 and £50,000 each to the following groups:
“The Foundation has been deliberately designed to put money back into the community and ensure that local people benefit directly from the success of the mine. There can be no better long-term benefit to an area than having more people with better skills, so it seemed only right that we focus on this area this time around. “The successful applicants impressed us with the thorough planning and clear focus of their programmes, which will create tangible outcomes that will make a real difference to people’s lives on the Teesside and North Yorkshire coast."
“The Foundation has been deliberately designed to put money back into the community and ensure that local people benefit directly from the success of the mine. There can be no better long-term benefit to an area than having more people with better skills, so it seemed only right that we focus on this area this time around.
“The successful applicants impressed us with the thorough planning and clear focus of their programmes, which will create tangible outcomes that will make a real difference to people’s lives on the Teesside and North Yorkshire coast."
Amongst the successful applicants was East Cleveland Youth Housing Trust. Andy Pettersen, Social Business Manager from the Trust, said:
“A grant like this means so much to us at ECYHT. It will help us preserve more run-down property and invest in the community in which we live and work.”
The Foundation has been given £2m by Sirius while the mine is under construction. Once in operations, the Foundation will be funded by an annual 0.5% cut of its sales, which could be as much as £13 million per annum.
“Sirius intends to continue to be an integral part of the community in North Yorkshire and Teesside for many decades, and the Foundation is an important way to help us give back to local people and provide a lasting legacy for the community. It’s great to see another round of hard working organisations benefit from this latest round of funding”.
East Cleveland Youth Housing Trust
"A grant like this means so much to us at ECYHT. It will help us preserve more run-down property and invest in the community in which we live and work" – Andy Pettersen, Social Business Manager
SASH in Whitby and Scarborough
“This is a fantastic opportunity for our young people and we are very grateful to the Sirius Minerals Foundation for making it possible.” – Deborah Rack, Trust Fundraiser
YMCA Scarborough
“With this funding we can commit significant resources to working alongside the young people, of what statistically is a very deprived and low-aspiring geography, to build greater social, human and financial capital for the area. We know we make a difference to the people we work with and this enables us to do an even better job of meeting the acute needs the local context presents.” – Martin Froggett, Community Engagement and Development Worker
Northern Regeneration CIC
“This funding will support Northern Regeneration to broaden out our plant training offer, whilst helping us work towards addressing a construction skills gap and bring economic benefit to the area.” – Graham Ratcliffe, Managing Director
Coatham House
“The Coatham House ‘Reloved’ project is very excited by the resources it has attracted and the opportunities it can offer in terms of training and employment for young people in the area and to be able to build upon its work within the community.” – Carl Ditchburn, Acting Coatham House Manager
Age UK
“This funding will help Age UK Scarborough & District to work with those that often do not get the help that is needed and can sometimes fall through the gaps. It will help us to build our partnership working, and make a difference to our local community.” - Julie Macey-Hewitt, Chief Executive Officer
Community Furniture Store
“The funding is very much appreciated as it gives us an extended period to develop the quality of the work we do without having to constantly work on securing funding for the next group of participants at the same time. This should enable us to increase the income raised from the workshop, taking a further step towards becoming self-sustaining.” – Andy Waites, Chief Officer
The Woodsmith Foundation is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Charity number: 1163127
